John Thompson brought debutante Open Secret to Randwick hoping to bank enough prizemoney for an Inglis Millennium start and instead came away with a bonus win, the filly claiming the scalp of $1.75 million colt Unites States in the process. Thompson typically likes to trial his two-year-olds twice, but with the $2… Read More »
My Gladiola did not let her trainer or the large contingent of owners down with a stunning debut win at Sandown. The victory in the filly’s division of the Blue Diamond Preview (1000m) on Saturday, saw the John Mcardle-trained two-year-old leap to the top of betting for the Group 1… Read More »
Tony Gollan’s dominance of the Goldmarket Handicap continued under lights at Gold Coast on Friday as Golden Boom landed the listed feature by a narrow margin. Challenged late by the Natalie McCall-trained Tiger Shark ($4.60), Golden Boom ($3.50 favourite) won the $160,000 event and notched his seventh win in 18 starts… Read More »
An example of ‘owning’ a sprint race was just what Blake Shinn and Schwarz displayed in winning the Group 2 Australia Stakes at Moonee Valley in a prelude to a long weekend of racing. The John O’Shea & Tom Charlton-trained sprinter followed-up two sharp trials in Sydney with a dominant… Read More »
The Lindsay Park stable of Ben, Will and J D Hayes held high hopes for Carbonados when he burst on the scene with an Australian debut win at Geelong. That was a little over 12 months ago and at the corresponding Australia Day meeting at Caulfield last year, Carbonados progressed straight… Read More »
Time has been the best friend for Royal Insignia who makes his return after a short break in Stakes company at Sandown. After wins at Kyneton and Caulfield Heath back in November, Royal Insignia heads to the Group 3 Manfred Stakes (1200m) on Saturday. Trainer Grahame Begg has a lot of time… Read More »
Racing Queensland is on the search for a new chief executive following the resignation of Jason Scott. The man who has led the organisation for the past two years revealed on Friday morning that he resigned earlier this week. Scott said he was not moving to a new role but… Read More »
The fire in the Norman Robinson Grandstand at Caulfield has resulted in the transfer of another meeting to Sandown. Saturday’s Blue Diamond Preview card was moved to Sandown last week while the meeting scheduled for Caulfield on February 1 was on Thursday also moved to be run at Sandown. The… Read More »
John Thompson has already produced one impressive two-year-old winner this season in Bel Merci, and he will be hoping to unveil another when stablemate Open Secret makes her debut at Randwick Open Secret is set to step out in Saturday’s The Agency Real Estate Handicap (1000m) after edging out her… Read More »
Having spent most of his adult life combining a teaching career with training the odd racehorse, John Steinmetz figured life would get easier once he retired from the education department a decade ago. Then along came a horse to turn that theory on its head. Steinmetz purchased a Casino Prince yearling… Read More »
Warrnambool Trainer Tom Dabernig is treating a trip to Morphetteville with Romantic Choice as a dress rehearsal for something over the Adelaide Carnival towards the backend of autumn. Romantic Choice gained ‘Black Type’ with her last start win in the Listed Black Pearl Stakes (1200m) at Geelong on January 4 and heads… Read More »
The Richard and Will Freedman stable has decided to split their two runners they had accepted with in a Stakes race at Sandown. Coastwatch and Elettrica were both acceptors for the Listed John Dillon Stakes (1400m) on Saturday, but the father-and-son training duo will rely solely on Coastwatch. Elettrica instead heads to… Read More »
The Ciaron Maher stable will commence the autumn campaigns of two of its three-year-olds in a Stakes race at Sandown. Odinson and Another Prophet will clash in the Group 3 Manfred Stakes (1200m) on Saturday as they prepare for richer autumn targets. A surprise Group 1 winner at the tail end of the… Read More »
Reece Goodwin does not expect Bermondsey to be at Caulfield on Blue Diamond Day, but he is a little chuffed that the gelding will play a part in the Blue Diamond series. The son of Hanseatic, whose maternal side features a past winner of the Blue Diamond Stakes, makes his debut… Read More »
An untimely shower of rain put paid to the chances of Cosmonova last start, but a forecast for fine weather has trainer Joe Pride optimistic she can rebound at Randwick. The mare will back up in Saturday’s Ranvet Handicap (1200m), seven days after she contested the final race at Rosehill, finishing… Read More »
It didn’t take trainer Shane Nichols long to decide to head to Adelaide with debutant La Reine. Nichols accepted with the filly in a heat of the Blue Diamond Preview (1000m) at Sandown and the Dominant Two-Year-Old Plate (1050m) at Morphettville, both run on Saturday, and after drawing barrier 15 at… Read More »
Clayton Douglas is looking forward to the challenge of taking Title Fighter to Moonee Valley to contest the sprinter’s first Stakes race. After wins at Pakenham and Geelong, Title Fighter jumps significantly in grade when he lines up in the Group 2 Australia Stakes (1200m) on Friday night. Title Fighter is unbeaten… Read More »
Trainer Matt Hoysted is hoping that Appin Girl can turn a last start disappointment into a win that carry a whole lot of meaning to connections on Friday night. Appin Girl’s owner, Howard Blight, died on Wednesday morning but while his family and friends grieved their loss the racing gods provided… Read More »
Fresh from a midweek double, Zac Lloyd will bid to continue his good form at Randwick where he has a full book of rides, four of them for leading trainer Chris Waller. Sydney’s champion apprentice for the past two seasons, Lloyd completed his indentures with Godolphin at the end of November… Read More »
For the second Saturday in a row, Chris Waller and the powerful Coolmore operation will unveil a seven-figure Magic Millions yearling in Sydney. Snitzel youngster United States will make his debut in the $160,000 The Agency Real Estate Handicap (1000m) at Randwick. His debut comes seven days after $1.6 million yearling… Read More »
